What comes to mind when you think about leadership? Maybe you envision a leader as someone who always has your back or someone who believes in your potential. Perhaps you think about leaders from different chapters of your life — your parents, your coaches, your teachers — and how they impacted you.
Terri Klass, a renowned leadership speaker and consultant, says every leader probably has a different take on leadership but each perspective has a common element. That element, she says, is being purposeful. This means that a leader’s actions and attitudes aren’t just random thoughts but stem from focused intention.
If you want to go from random acts of leadership to more intentional leadership, read on. In this issue of PromoPro Daily, we share Klass’ guidance on how to make the pivot.
1. Don’t just sit on the sidelines. Klass knows it’s easier to stay in your cocoon at work in your career instead of taking a risk and leading a new project. She understands it’s less stressful to stay quiet even when you have good ideas to offer. To be an intentional leader, you must lean in.
2. Stay accountable. When things don’t go as planned, always hold yourself accountable rather than blaming your team members. Playing the blame game is no way to lead. Instead, show respect to everyone you connect with. Demonstrate empathy and try to offer positive suggestions. Klass also recommends disagreeing in a respectful way and not making assumptions about others’ actions.
3. Be decisive. It’s better to take clear action than make wishy-washy decisions. Klass says leaders can become stalled waiting for the perfect set of data or information. Instead of waiting or waffling, remember that no decision is far worse than action on what makes the most sense based on the analytics and input you have.
4. Embrace a growth mindset. To be an intentional leader, you need to keep growing and learning. This means keeping an open mind to what is unfamiliar and not being afraid to make mistakes. You should also believe that you can improve and learn new skills.
5. Put others first. Leading with intention requires putting others first — your team members, colleagues and clients. Try to discern what people need and then focus on meeting those needs as quickly and effectively as possible.
Instead of taking a haphazard approach to leadership, be an intentional leader. It starts by getting involved in the day-to-day with your team. It continues by holding yourself accountable and showing confidence in your decisions. And finally, you can become a more intentional leader by always putting others first. Ultimately, intentional leadership is about being purposeful in how you show up for those around you.
Compiled by Audrey Sellers
Source: Terri Klass is a leadership skills training consultant, executive coach and speaker. She’s the founder of Terri Klass Consulting, which offers results-oriented leadership training programs and workshops.
